Boris Johnson 'launched into a violent attack' on Emmanuel Macron and 'wanted to punch his lights out'
Boris Johnson called Emmanuel Macron “Putin’s lickspittle” in an attack on the French prime minister
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Boris Johnson called Emmanuel Macron “Putin’s lickspittle” in an attack on the French prime minister, according to his former No 10 director of communications.
Guto Harri claims Johnson launched his foul-mouthed offensive after Macron criticised his handling of the Ukrainian refugee crisis following the Russian invasion.
During the second episode of his new podcast, Unprecedented, he told listeners that the former prime minister “really flipped” when he heard Macron’s remarks.
Johnson does not recognise the account given by his former colleague, according to the Telegraph.
Guto Harri claims Johnson launched his foul-mouthed offensive after Macron criticised his handling of the Ukrainian refugee crisis
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The alleged outburst came as Macron held an EU summit, three weeks into the war to accuse Britain of failing to live up to its “grand statements” on asylum.
He added that he hoped that Ukrainians who made the journey to their families in Britain would be “better treated”.
Harri said: “When the British press was giving the British Government a hard time over our response to the refugee crisis, Macron turbocharged it by criticising Boris pretty directly and his words were all over the front page of The Guardian.
"Much as Boris is not prone to getting really cross, nor using particularly strong language, this was one [time] where he really flipped. At our morning meeting, with a small gang of us, he just launched into a violent attack on Emmanuel Macron.
“And basically saying: 'He’s a four-letter word that begins with ‘c’, he’s a weirdo, he’s Putin’s lickspittle, we need to go studs up on this one' – a rugby term that basically means gloves off - 'we need an orgy of frog-bashing, I’m going to have to punch his lights out’... Pretty strong stuff.”
Previously, Zelensky has criticised Macron after talking down the prospect of a “total defeat of Russia.
Harri also gave details of the 4am call between Downing Street and Kyiv on February 24, 2022, the day Russia launched its iinvasion of Ukraine.
“Zelensky was breathless, he was breathless but very calm considering what was on the way,” he said.
“It was harrowing, it was haunting, he brought it alive to all of us. It was massively sobering, we really could not believe that this was underway.
The alleged outburst came as Macron held an EU summit, three weeks into the war to accuse Britain of failing to live up to its 'grand statements' on asylum
PA
“Boris could not have been clear that we were there to help Ukraine in whichever way we possibly could. Using whatever we could possibly deploy within reason.
“But that moment in time, I think it was a man to man thing where he was basically imagining himself in that bunker in his own capital city, with foreign troops advancing on that city and his life at risk.
"And so I remember very clearly him saying: ‘But are you okay, but you are you, Volodymyr, okay. Do you have good people around? Are you safe? Is there anything we can do to protect you’?”
Johnson, who had no part in Harri’s podcast or in its contents, is said to “deplore” attempts to comment on the matters discussed in the newest episode.